Post 2018 Appalachian Trail Thru Hike

Hi everyone! How has it already been 5 months since we summited Katahdin? I’m sorry it has taken me this long to do a post trail update. Time feels like it has been going at warp speed!

We spent our first month back with family taking it easy and letting our bodies recuperate. After that, it was time to head back to upstate SC! Jake jumped right back in to real estate, and I started back with Southern Savers. We then spent the holidays with family and enjoyed the food a little too much – it’s hard to shake the thru hiker appetite! After a few months living in Jake’s grandparent’s guest house, we found the perfect house to buy! We closed on our home in January and have really enjoyed being back in Greenville, SC.

Life has been good for us post trail, minus a few bumps here and there, but that’s life in this world. To be honest, neither of us have dealt with post trail depression. I think that has a lot to do with where we put our identity, in Christ and not the trail. Don’t get me wrong, the trail is a big part of our story now and we often miss waking up in the woods, but we understand it’s not the end all be all. And, having shared the experience with one another, we can talk about all the good and bad of trail life together whenever we want. We can relate to each other and that makes talking about our experience easier.

We are thankful for our time on trail, but we are also happy for new adventures, like buying our first home and building community in the wonderful city of Greenville! If you’re wondering if we’ll ever do another long trail, the hopeful answer is YES! We absolutely love backpacking and spending time together in new places. We would love to do the PCT and the el Camino, just to name two. Timing and finances will tell when those trips can be taken. We trust in the Lord’s perfect plan, so whether we do or don’t ever get to walk a long trail again, we know where our identity and hope lies. We are beyond thankful for the time He gave us to hike the Appalachian Trail and it will be forever an amazing memory that we both can hold dear in hearts.

Thank you to everyone who came along with us, whether it was through watching our videos, talking with us on the phone, meeting us in person or keeping us in prayer. Thank you for sharing the journey with us!

Until next time!

-Ninja Snail & Sandals

Appalachian Trail Thru Hike 2018: 3 Big Changes

paris mountain state park

This year we have 3 big changes for our Appalachian Trail 2018 Thru Hike.

We are changing up our nutrition! No more Honey Buns and Snickers… ok, ok, we’ll probably have a few of those, but they won’t make up our entire diet. This year we are focused on eating as many whole, nutritious and mainly plant based meals that we can. Plus, for the first month on trail we are sending ourselves mail drops so we don’t have worry about grocery shopping.

Next, we are going ultra-lightweight with our gear. In 2016, we both started with base weights around 20 lbs. For 2018, we have our base weights dialed in at sub 12 lbs! No, your gear doesn’t get you to Katahdin, but less weight means faster hiking and easier recovery.

Lastly, we are changing up our mentalities. In 2016, we mostly saw the trail as a big 6 month vacation. Towards the end, we were “vacationing” more and more in our mindset. We ultimately had to get off trail for other reasons, but we want this year to be more focused on getting to Katahdin by treating it as a) a job we applied for and got, so we gotta give it our best and b) by listening more to our bodies each day to make sure we are focused on what we need to do to be successful at reaching Katahdin. Crummy days are going to happen, but we’re keeping our eyes on the prize.

Life After The Appalachian Trail

Life After The AT

Well, this post is way over due, but I finally have the courage to write again. It has been almost two months since we left the Appalachian Trail and it has been nothing short of exciting, confusing, busy and fun.

I can still remember the day we left the AT like it was yesterday. I didn’t cry as we drove off, I just sat in the back of shuttle driver Gary Serra’s SUV and tried to stay calm.

For the people who know me personally, that is not my normal reaction to something so emotionally taxing. I can only say it was the Lord’s peace with me. He let me know I was doing the right thing.

Lately, I have been questioning whether I did the right thing , but thanks to Matt, a kind viewer, he reminded me that my hope and identity is in Jesus, not in finishing the Appalachian Trail. He encouraged me to continue with Hike and Tell posts, so here I am.

After we were dropped off in Blacksburg, Virginia, we spent a few hours with Jake’s family reminiscing and planning for our next adventure. Yes. I said another adventure.

I still had some time before I needed to be back at work, so we decided to close out our year of adventure with a US road trip! We only spent three days at home getting ready and we were off like a heard of wild turtles (Jake’s dad’s favorite saying).

We met up with all of our trail friends … Purple Mist, Optimist, Sunflower, Daniel Son, Burrito and Cupcake as we headed north to begin our trip. It had been weeks since we had seen them and it was such a treat to spend time with them again.

After visiting family in Maine, we headed west! No, we did not climb Katahdin or hike any sections of the trail, but we were able to see Katahdin in the distance on top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park.

We spent four weeks on the road and visited amazing US cities and landmarks. We explored Philadelphia, New York City, Martha’s Vineyard, Boston, Acadia National Park, Niagara Falls, Chicago, Mall of America, Mount Rushmore, Glacier National Park, Seattle, the Pacific Ocean, Redwood National Forest, San Francisco, Yosemite, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon!

It was an experience that we will remember forever, just like our experience on the Appalachian Trail. We learned a lot on both of our adventures, and one thing is for sure, the Lord puts the right people and places in life at the right time.

After our month on the road, we decided it was time to find a new home and to grow our roots in a new city. We still live in South Carolina (we decided it was the best state of them all), but we live a lot closer to the mountains in Greenville!

I can’t wait to start hiking again and to continue sharing with you life’s best adventures.

Appalachian Trail Days 89-92

Thank you to everyone who has watched our videos, we are truly blessed by our viewers and blog readers! This has been the hardest week for us, and sadly this is our last video.

We have enjoyed making our videos each week and we hope you enjoy this one. Stay tuned for more adventures from Hike and Tell!

Appalachian Trail Days 57-65

We enjoyed two zero days with my family last weekend in a lovely cabin near the Grayson Highlands.

 After leaving Grayson, a shoe snafu turned the week into a bit of a bumpy ride, but Sandals’ family came to the rescue!

Appalachian Trail Days 51-56

Bears, bears, bears… We have seen 7 so far! One moment with a momma bear was a little, shall we say, slightly nerve wracking! Thankfully, we are safe and sound.

We hope you enjoy video #10!

Appalachian Trail Days 47-50

Follow along as we experience and explore Trail Days in Damascus, VA and as we continue north along the Appalachian Trail.

Also, I haven’t mentioned in a post yet, but we are over $1,000 raised for the Levine Children’s Hospital! Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far!

Appalachian Trail Days 42-46

Life on the Appalachian Trail gets more fun and interesting every day. Some days it rains, some days it’s sunny. Each day is different and meaningful in its own way. 

In our newest video, we enjoy our last days in North Carolina and venture into Tennessee. Two states down, twelve to go!